A pastor’s resignation has certain effects.  We will look at 2 parts on this subject.  Part 1, the effect on the church.  Part 2, the effects on the pastor.  We are not looking at the resignation in a church that is going through division and hardships.  There are different implications in those situations.  We are looking at the effects of a resignation when the church is doing well.

The number 1 feeling that surrounds the resignation in the church is disappointment.  When the pastor is loved and valued, the resignation causes disappointment and hurt.  Many do not understand why.  “Why now?”  I know that the sense of feeling deals with what will happen after the pastor is gone.  Will the church continue to go forward?  Will we lose people in the process?  People place a lot of trust and hope in the pastor and when he resigns they wonder what will happen.  I am a firm believer that if God leads a pastor to a new ministry then He already has a replacement for him.

The other feeling during resignation is betrayal.  Even though the pastor is following God’s will, it leaves the feeling that the pastor has betrayed His flock.  In fact, the resignation hurts the church family.  There is no easy way telling them.  There is no easy way to let them down. 

The last feeling of resignation is insecurity.  The congregation that is being left without a pastor, might feel like they are not “good enough” for the pastor to stay.  They are left wondering, “what did we do wrong?”  Could we have done something to keep our pastor?

All of these feelings are a natural result of losing a pastor.  Of course people are disappointed.  As a matter of fact, I would feel as if I had failed in ministry if the people were not a little disappointed.  But if God is in it, those feelings will be resolved when the new pastor arrives.  As for betrayal, it is a common feeling.  I know it probably feels like a husband who has gone to find another wife.  The feeling of betrayal may be a result but we must remember that a pastor must follow the will of God.

Finally, every congregation will feel the insecurity.  Words cannot take those feelings away.  This is only resolved when the church realizes that God orchestrated the events surrounding the resignation and that it was not because the church was not “good enough” but rather when someone follows the will of God it has nothing to do with the congregation’s insufficiency.  The church must realize that the pastor loves that congregation very much and it hurts him also.  When we are separated from those we love and care for, it should never be easy.

Now, I realize that this whole process hurts and it leaves us with many questions.  I do not have all of the answers but I believe that God will help the church through it.

For the next couple of days I would like to look at the process of resignation for the pastor and the questions that arise when he resigns.

Sunday morning I tendered my resignation and it shocked our congregation.  Why did it shock them?  Because we are not experiencing problems in the church.  There is a great support for the ministry of our church.  Now there are always small things but nothing that would cause a resignation.  On top of that there is unity within the body.  The church is experiencing growth.  Not tremendous growth but steady growth.  We just hired a youth pastor and the youth group is growing. So why resign?

Here is my philosophy.  I would rather go out on top, rather than in decline.  I have taken churches where the pastor did not leave much for an incoming pastor.  Either there was a rift in the body or a long-term decline.  I would rather leave a church when the church is more appealing to a pastor.  Not to mention, I believe that if we begin to lose our effectiveness we should consider the question, “Is my time up?”  We do not like to look at that question because it is often a harsh evaluation.  Furthermore, it might mean we have to leave a place of comfort and familiarity to launch into uncharted waters, but we must do what is best for the church, not just what is best for ourselves.

So back to the original question, why did I resign?  I honestly believe that God is leading me to a new place of ministry.  I sensed within my spirit in August that my time was winding down in Nederland and that a transition was coming.  I am losing my effectiveness in the church and I believe that God has already prepared the heart of my successor.  Churches do not like to think of this especially if they like the pastor they have.  But if God has someone else to carry the church to the next level then these things must play out.  I resigned because I believe it is God’s will. 

It was one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made because of the comfort I have here.  My family is close by, now it will be an eleven hour drive from them.  I have a routine.  I have a great love for our church family and from our church family.  We have been truly blessed, but God’s will must be followed.  I intend to follow Him where He leads.  That place is Rogers First Assembly in Rogers Arkansas.

Today was probably the hardest day in my ministry career.  After 5-1/2 years in Nederland, we are leaving.  At the conclusion of this morning’s service I shared with the congregation that God was leading me to another place of ministry.  It is not always easy or comfortable to follow the will of God but it must be done.  In these years at Nederland we have formed many great relationships with our church family.  We have had many great times together and have also endured hard times together.  It is through times, good and bad, that we have grown closer together.  So, to part ways is difficult but we know that God has His hand in it.

I will write more about the transition and the resignation process in the days to come.

If there is one thing that is certain is that things are never certain.  We are watching things unfold in our economy that makes us nervous.  The most prosperous nation in the world is watching our financial institutions spin out of control.  The only answer:  a government bailout.  I am not here to talk about the political aspect of this but, I am here to say that if we do not fix the underlying problems of greed, there will only have to be other bailouts.  What I would like to prove, however, is that these financial institutions are not secure.  Our economy is not secure.  The dollar is not secure.  The stock market is not secure.

We must have investments, it is wise stewardship of what God gives us.  We should seek to save and gain increase as long as we do not become full of greed.  The pursuit of wealth and gain can lead us to focusing only on that and putting our pursuit of God to the side. 

The truth of the matter is that in this world, nothing is secure.  Our finances could be gone tomorrow.  In a neighboring city next to us, they were almost completely wiped out in Hurricane Ike.  As you drive through you see people’s possessions stacked next to the road.  Our possessions are not secure.

Jesus spoke of this in His sermon on the mount:
 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)

What are we laying up for?  Are we seeking to build our kingdom here with no thought for our eternal kingdom?  Where is our heart?  God wants to bless us, but if our hearts are bent on gain, we will be misguided.  Jesus is cautioning people to not get wrapped up in the pursuit of prosperity.  In fact, He reminds us that those things are not secure.  They fade, rust and get stolen away.  We should rather, seek to lay up treasures in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Work for His glory.  Seek to grow closer to Him and give your life away for the glory of His Kingdom.

Friend, the only thing sure in this life is Jesus Christ.  The Bank of Heaven will never go under and God will never need a government bailout.

Today I preached a funeral for a 52 year old woman who lost her battle with cancer.  She spent 29 years as an educator for the Nederland School District.  There were around 300 people in attendance.  It was standing room only with an overflow room.  As I looked over the crowd I was struck with awe of how someone could make such an impact in a secular job. 

We often think that people can only make a difference if they are a minister or working full-time in some type of service job.  But the truth is, no matter what vocation we have, we can make a difference.  Being a teacher is a calling.  It is the opportunity to develop young people’s lives.  This dear lady we buried, took her job as an educator seriously.  She had found her calling.  There were dozens of former students who came to pay their last respects to her.

I began to wonder, “How many people would attend my funeral? Have I made an impact on other people’s lives enough for them to pay their last respects when I am gone?  Will I be missed when I have left this world?”  It makes me take more seriously my calling as a pastor and preacher of the gospel.  To want to touch more people.  To want to lead them to life everlasting.

So, how many people do you think will come to your funeral?  What would they say about you when you are gone?  Will you be missed when you die?  Find your calling, whether secular, volunteer or ministry, and touch as many lives as you can.  God will use you in mighty ways if you are willing!

I have been suffering major withdrawals for almost 10 days now.  It has been that long since I have had a Sonic Iced Tea.  Many people have addictions or a crutch, I do too.  I am addicted to Sonic Iced Tea.  Many would scoff at such an addiction, but for all the Starbuck’s addicts, at least Sonic has a happy hour. And while we are on the subject, their coffee is better and cheaper than starBUCKS. 

Back to the withdrawals.  Because of Hurricane Ike and the havoc it has wreaked on our communities, Sonic has been closed.  Not just the Nederland Sonic but all of the area Sonic’s.  Today, the Port Neches Sonic opened back up with a limited menu, but they did have Iced Tea.  Sonya was in Port Neches and noticed they were open so she surprised me with a Route 44 Iced Tea.  Oh the love this woman has for me!  What’s more, she even paid full price for the drink.  Now I truly know what love is.  I couldn’t ask for more in life.  Sonic Iced Tea and a beautiful wife, could life get any sweeter?

When I drive, I have a habit of looking around.  I am an observer.  I look at everything when I drive.  Sonya says I look at everything but the road.  So in our car the phrase, “watch the road” is spoken frequently.  Yesterday as we were driving through Beaumont, out of the blue, Hannah said, “Watch the Road.” 

Now I have three people to tell me how to drive.  Sonya, Josh and Hannah.  I guess I must start paying attention when I drive:)

Last night, Sonya woke up at 2:00am and discovered something beautiful.  Our lights were on.  It has been a week since we’ve had power and what a welcome sight.  It was a good thing because it was a humid night, I was getting hot and having a hard time sleeping.  The first thing we did was turn on the A/C. 

We watched the power crews work all day on the power lines but the lights never came on.  The last thing we expected was for them to come on in the middle of the night.  I am not sure how Entergy’s process for restoring electricity works, but they surprised us with their 2 am wake-up light.  It came on when we least expected it.

There is coming a day when we will be surprised by another great event.  When we least expect it, Jesus will return.  The Bible says that the rapture of the church will happen in the twinkling of an eye.  In a split second.  No man knows the day nor the hour but His return is imminent.  He is coming again when we least expect it.  We must be ready for His return.